The Daily Valet. - 11/10/22, Thursday
✔️ Will Tech Help Us Talk to Animals?
Thursday, November 10th Edition
Let this note serve as my “official” label. I swear, it’s really me.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Will Tech Help Us Talk to Animals?
Researchers are using drones, AI and digital recorders to create a “zoological version of Google Translate”
What might we learn if we could truly talk with animals? Speak to them, not like in the baby voices we use with dogs, but in their own way of communicating. Would it help us coexist? What might we learn from them? Or, as some fear, would it just lead to manipulating wild species?
The answers to those questions might come sooner than we think. Because as technology has advanced, so has our capacity to listen to the world around us—along with all the ways animals communicate. Bats chitter and babble in ultrasound; elephants rumble infrasonic secrets to each other; coral reefs are aquatic clubs, hopping with the cracks and hisses and clicks of marine life.
Scientists are now using tools like drones and digital recorders to monitor ecosystems around the planet—from rainforests to the depths of the ocean—and miniaturization has allowed researchers to stick microphones onto creatures as small as honeybees. According to Vox, that creates a ton of data. Far too much to go through manually. Which is where AI comes in.
Artificial intelligence is now sifting through the piles of recordings, finding patterns that might help us understand what animals are saying to each other. There are now databases of whale songs and honeybee dances, among others, that Karen Bakker, author of The Sounds of Life, says could one day turn into “a zoological version of Google Translate.”
The animal speaking AI can be added to robots that will be able to “essentially breach the barrier of interspecies communication,” but Bakker also notes the breakthrough raises ethical questions. Enabling humans to speak with different species could create a “deeper sense of kinship, or a sense of dominion and manipulative ability to domesticate wild species that we’ve never as humans been able to previously control.”
Similarly, a team of international scientists recently launched a project called CETI (the Cetacean Translation Initiative) to listen to, contextualize and translate the communication of Sperm whales. According to the Daily Mail, if the team is successful, the next step would be to develop and deploy an interactive AI-powered chatbot that engages in dialogue with the large marine animals in the wild.
↦ Meanwhile: Scientists have recently discovered that 53 sea creatures previously thought to be silent—including turtles—can actually communicate.
Congress Remains in Play
The president says midterm voters sent an ‘unmistakable message’ about democracy
Democrats continued to celebrate unexpected victories, notching several more wins in competitive House races on Wednesday—but control of the House and Senate remained uncertain. It could take weeks to find out which party ends up with more seats in the Senate.
Two critical Senate races in Arizona and Nevada remained too early to call Wednesday, and a third in Georgia is headed for a Dec. 6th runoff election since neither candidate won more than 50% of the vote. To take control of the Senate, Republicans need to flip two of those three seats currently held by Democrats.
Biden said at the White House on Wednesday that voters “sent a clear and unmistakable message” about issues such as democracy and abortion rights but were also “clear that they are still frustrated” when it comes to the economy and inflation. He also acknowledged that Republicans could win a narrow majority in the House, and vowed to work across the aisle after speaking with with current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy by phone.
And a clearer picture about voters is emerging. According to Tufts, young people, who overwhelmingly favored Democrats, had one of their highest turnout rates ever in a midterm, helping shape the results across the country. Researchers estimate that the youth turnout was even higher in some battleground states.
↦ Dig Deeper: NBC News looks at what the midterms mean for a possible Trump-Biden rematch in 2024.
Amazon Loses $1 Trillion in Value
The top four most valuable U.S. companies reportedly lost a combined $4 trillion
After becoming the second U.S. public company to cross the $1 trillion valuation threshold back in 2018, Amazon became the world's first public company to lose a trillion dollars in market value on Wednesday.
The mind boggling figures, first reported by Bloomberg, are the results of rising inflation, tightening monetary policies and disappointing earnings—plus some massive stock selloffs. Shares in the e-commerce and cloud company fell 4.3% on Wednesday, pushing its market value to about $879 billion from a record close at $1.88 trillion on July 2021.
According to Gizmodo, those declines aren't just limited to Amazon and Microsoft. The top five most valuable U.S. tech companies reportedly lost a combined $4 trillion in value this year. To put that in perspective—that's more than the GDPs of Turkey, Argentina and Switzerland combined.
I was actually surprised that Amazon, which we all seem to rely on so much these days, actually is contending with declining e-commerce spending as consumers, less concerned with pandemic precautions, have begun to trickle back into brick-and-mortar stores.
↦ Meanwhile: Elon Musk said he sold another $3.95 billion worth of Tesla shares. That means he has sold almost $20 billion since he agreed to acquire Twitter.
The Food Trends Coming in 2023
Expect to see plant-based pastas, nostalgic snacks, kelp and lots of date derivatives
Every year, there are a few buzz-worthy food trends you can't help but hear about. Maybe they're interesting enough to try. Or perhaps they're just capturing the attention of the internet—like butter boards did earlier this fall.
Once a trendy food, drink or ingredient takes off, it almost doesn't matter whether it's worth the hype, right? It's all people will talk about. And every brand will try to jump on board before the wave crashes. So it's only natural that as we round the corner on another year, foodies are wondering what snacks and ingredients will be the “it” foods of 2023.
Whole Foods, in an attempt to be ahead of the curve, releases a trend forecast each year, and The Takeout says it's always worth a glance. So what's the retailer anticipating taking off? Yaupon, an antioxidant-rich evergreen tree that is the only natural occurrence of caffeine in North America—tea from this could be the new kombucha. Dates will become the go-to natural sweeter. And plant-based pasta will continue to grow, made with ingredients like spaghetti squash, hearts of palm and green bananas.
The food staff at Martha Stewart agrees. They're also anticipating more nostalgic snacks. According to consumer research, 73% of U.S. consumers enjoy things that remind them of the past. New spins on mac and cheese, pizza bites, classic old-school cereals, and other throwback favorites will be coming soon to store shelves near you.
↦ FYI: A grocery delivery app just introduced an ‘unplan’ button that will summon a messenger to your house with a bag of groceries to make whatever the app decided you’re having.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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The Greatest Gifts for Dads
Nearly two dozen options for your old man, young dad or any father who’s young at heart.
Dads can be tough to shop for.They say they don't need much, right? Either they're simple creatures without many needs or they're just not the type of guys who treat themselves to whatever they want. But on the bright side, that means you could probably get him something he'd really like. You just need to think about what your father, or your partner or perhaps someone dad-like in your life likes to do and how he prefers to spend his time. From a cozy cardigan or stylish sweats to some impressive tech and a fighter jet model, we've got a lot of your bases covered.
Clockwise, from top left:Italian wool shawl-collar cardigan, $298 by Ralph Lauren, Swiss Army Lite knife, $63 by Victorinox and F-14A Tomcat model kit, $84.50 by Tamiya
Clockwise, from top left:EOS M200 mirrorless camera, $549 by Cannon, PRX 40 205 watch, $375 by Tissot and Rambler stackable insulated mug, $25 by YETI
↦ Want more? See all 19 gift picks
What We’re Eyeing
Hardwearing pants for an affordable price—what's not to like? Like Dickie's cooler older cousin, Blacksmith specializes in workwear that is made with intention and integrity. Their field pants are cut in a relaxed fit from a sturdy 100% cotton twill fabric that's been garment dyed and washed for softness. They've got raised seam fatigue pockets along with classic workwear-influenced patch pockets on the back and hips. Honestly, they look and feel like they should cost three times as much.
↦ Get It: $64 by Blacksmith
Partner
Protect Yourself
As we head into the season of shivering and sniffling, we all know we need to boost our immunity. Want to protect yourself from illnesses while also supercharging your post-fitness recovery and overall energy? Then you’re going to want to give these a try. ASYSTEM collaborated with DC Comics and Warner Bros. on a line of supplements inspired by Bruce Wayne. They’re as stylish as they are effective. The IMMUNITY+ formula is anchored by the clinically-backed ingredient, ElderMune™. It’s been shown to help activate your immune response, and increase your ability to fight off infections, while reducing the duration and severity of respiratory illnesses. This is combined with prebiotic fiber that supports the healthy flora in the gut where 70% of your immune system can be found. Consider it your secret weapon to staying healthy—one worthy of Bruce Wayne himself.
↦ Try It: 30 individual servings, from $45 by ASYSTEM
Morning Motto
Give yourself permission.
↦ Follow: @wetheurban
That’s all for today...
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